Range Operations personnel and Navy divers from Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division, Keyport put their expertise to work over Columbus Day weekend to aid in the recovery effort of a crashed medical helicopter and the personnel on board. 

A medical transport helicopter crashed into Puget Sound north of Seattle, near Edmonds, on the evening of Sept. 29. The pilot and two nurses on board were returning to Arlington, Wash., from Harborview Medical Hospital in Seattle. The body of one nurse, Erin Reed, was recovered within hours of the crash. The pilot and other nurse were still missing. 

The local National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requested U. S. Navy assistance for search and recovery of the two missing personnel and the twin engine Augusta A109A helicopter operated by Airlift Northwest, Oct. 7. Efforts to obtain assistance from a capable commercial firm were unsuccessful, prompting NTSB investigators to request Navy assistance to locate and recover the wreckage. 

Commander Navy Region Northwest coordinated closely with Commander NUWC Keyport to authorize and provide Navy support for recovery operations. USNV Battlepoint (YTT 10) departed NUWC Keyport at 4:12 p.m. the same afternoon and arrived on scene at 6 p.m. An hour later, the side scan sonar was operational and the debris field was located within 20 minutes.

The USNV Battlepoint crew recovered the first piece of the air ambulance’s hydraulics at 8:30 p.m. in 530 feet of water, using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The crew continued working in shifts through the night and nearly non-stop for nearly three days. NUWC Keyport divers were deployed to support the wreckage recovery later that night.

USNV Battlepoint’s crew members and the divers were joined at various times by representatives of NTSB, the City of Edmonds Police Department, the Snohomish County medical examiner, and a CJ Systems, Inc. helicopter mechanic on Saturday morn-ing. 

Over the course of the search, the crew recovered a large section of the tail cone, the rotor with one blade attached, a large section of the top of the cab, one of its two engines, and several smaller pieces including portions of the other three rotor blades. 

The Edmonds City Police Department estimates the chopper was traveling about 130 miles per hour. At that speed and impact, the craft most likely shattered when it hit the water.

“The most difficult part of the search was low visibility and some hefty currents. Getting a stronghold on some of the pieces was also a challenge,” said Deb Triplett-Gillum, Keyport’s search and recovery coordinator.

The helicopter mechanic provided helpful support identifying pieces and parts of the helicopter and guidance on where to attach lines or hooks to best support the weight of the wreckage while bringing it up to the surface. 

While recovering wreckage debris was important to the investigation, locating the pilot and second passenger was the highest priority. The body of pilot Steve Smith was successfully recovered late Saturday afternoon, Oct. 8. The search for the body of the missing nurse continued in earnest throughout the night and into Monday morning. 

On Monday morning, NTSB and the insurance representatives made the difficult decision to end the search.

Triplett-Gillum offered the crew’s condolences. “It was with disappointment and heartfelt sorrow for the family that the search concluded without recovering the body of nurse Lois Suzuki,” she said. 

As hard as it was to leave the scene without the recovery of all personnel, NTSB felt enough of the wreckage was recovered to ensure a comprehensive investigation.

In addition to USNV Battlepoint, NUWC Keyport also operates USNV Discovery Bay (YTT 11). Both are Yard Torpedo Test (YTT) range craft used for the launch, tracking, and recovery of test torpedoes and autonomous unmanned vehicles. 

YTT’s are equipped with recovery control suites and a handling system that can deploy and operate the ROV’s. The ROV’s are equipped with sonar, video-cameras, lights, and retrieval capabilities that are able to operate to a depth of 5,000 feet (depending on the model).

Keyport Range assets also include side scan sonar systems that are use to locate various targets such as this downed helicopter.

NUWC Keyport’s Range Operations personnel and Navy divers have successfully located and recovered several downed aircraft in deep-water over the past decade.